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Facts

Not many cruising yachts brave the elements to visit Argentina, but those who do are attracted to the challenging wilderness of the Magellan Straits and Tierra del Fuego.

Yachts coming from the north can get a taste of Argentina in Buenos Aires and the resorts in the Rio de la Plata estuary, where most yachting facilities are concentrated. There are several resorts with yacht clubs in the Rio de la Plata estuary, such as San Isidro and Olivos.

There are only a few ports along Argentina's long coastline and there is little to see between the Rio de la Plata and the Straits of Magellan, with the notable exception of Mar del Plata, which has a thriving sailing community and facilities to match.

Only basic facilities are available at Puerto Madryn and Puerto Deseado. Provisioning outside of the Buenos Aires area is adequate and for yachts heading south a convenient place to reprovision is at Río Gallegos, capital of Santa Cruz. Argentina is however getting more expensive, and if heading south Chile is a cheaper option for stocking up (apart from wine and meat).

Visiting yachts should tread carefully when clearing into Argentina as many have suffered investigations by Customs for possible infractions. This is on-going, however using a port agent avoids many potential problems. See reports adjacent for further details.

(New 2011) Every boat must check in on a daily basis with the Argentine Coastguard by a pre-agreed method (E-mail, satellite phone, SSB or VHF frequency) while sailing between Argentine ports. Get a written contact sheet and log your attempts to call to avoid being detained and possible fines by the coastguard on arrival at your destination. Further information here.

All vessels intending to sail to or from the Falklands, South Georgia and South Orkneys must apply for and obtain permission from the Argentine government or they will be fined $7000USD upon arrival in Argentina, or risk impoundment of vessel. All vessels must apply, cruisers or charter vessels. Fines are even applied for reasons of Force Majeure.

Security

Cruisers report that security in Tierra del Fuego is just simply not an issue. Many never lock their boats and dinghys with outboards can be left at the jetty without any problems.October 2011.

Weather

The Argentine climate ranges from subtropical in the north to cold temperate in Tierra del Fuego. The central zone is temperate, while Buenos Aires is hot and humid, the summer months December to February being the hottest. In Rio de la Plata the prevailing winds in summer are easterly, while SW winds are more common in winter. They are often accompanied by pamperos, violent SW squalls that affect most of Argentina's coastal waters.

I have submitted a long report about my experience clearing in and out here (see adjacent), however important to note are the safety requirements for visiting International yachts, as this caught me out.

The Prefectura demands that international vessels are classified as "Veleros Oceanicos" and have a list of safety requirements that boats must comply with before clearance is granted. There is a link to the list in my report adjacent.

This includes the requirement to have a certified life raft, six parachute flares and six hand held flares. The chief of Prefectura for the Coastguard department has given me the right to have no sextant on board. All other requirements apply.
I had a total of four inspections.

Val Ellis
says:

Jul 22, 2017 09:34 AM

Posted on behalf of Anastasia July 2017

Beginning December 2016 we asked our permisso for the Falklands, it was done in Mar del Platta. We left on14 December from Mar del Platta and arrived on 29 December in Desceado (after a stop over in Caleta Hornos) there we left on 13 januari 2017 for the Falklands. We had at that time our permisso without any problem. The permisso is NOT at all a bottle neck to go to the Falklands. In Desceado and in Mar Del Platta the prefectura was super frendly and did not make any problem for us. We had a peacefull crossing and even in PW and here in Ushuaia no problems about our whereabouts.

Sue Richards
says:

Dec 20, 2016 04:19 PM

Getting a Permit to Malvinas/Falklands - from Omar Sanchez:

The bureaucracy has unfortunately increased and now it takes about 40-45 days to get the permit to go to Malvinas/Falklands.
That is why this year some foreign sailors have preferred to return to Punta del Este in Uruguay and to make the dispatch to the Malvinas from there, without touching Argentine ports to Malvinas.
This does not invalidate the rule that establishes the daily position report in Argentine waters.

Omar Sanchez
says:

May 16, 2016 11:26 PM

After March 24, 2016, U.S. citizens no longer need to pay a reciprocity fee to enter Argentina.
See: http://www.embassyofargentina.us/en/consular-section/reciprocity-fee-for-us-citizens.html
Wetdoc, from Buenos Aires.

Sue Richards
says:

Jan 27, 2016 12:04 PM

Our thanks to Henk Boersma for these updates.

Puerto Williams Update:
Recently the "SAG" (these are the people responsible for avoiding alien flora and fauna arriving on Chilean soil) started implementing a law that no fresh fruit, vegetables or meat can be brought into the country. All will be confiscated and destroyed. Threats with fines for not complying are in the air. For years this has been the rule in the rest of the country, however now PW is included as well which doesn’t make sense. Maybe it will blow over.
For the charter boats that do their shopping in Ushuaia (Argentina), this new rule forces a change of plan... The problem is of course, that there are no reliable supplies in Puerto Williams!

Ushuaia Update:
All is quiet on the customs front, apart from some issues which involved Argentine sailors with foreign flagged boats. They are still fussy about arriving or going to the Falklands without a permit.

Cruising the Beagle Channel
For cruising the Beagle Channel as far as Staten Island, no zarpe is required for trips to Lapataia and Islas Bridges but the Prefectura must be notified before you leave with the details of your trip. Anywhere further out, and you must pay a visit to the Prefectura for a zarpe.